The present invention relates to a refrigerator using an expandable polystyrene (EPS) insulating material, and, more specifically, to a refrigerator manufactured by an assembly method in which the need for welding operation is eliminated and an EPS material is used as an insulating material.
Household refrigerators generally include an outer cabinet and an inner liner with a foam insulation ember interposed therebetween. Two side walls and a top wall of the outer cabinet are formed out of a single piece of sheet metal. Front edge portions of the side wall and the top wall are bent to form two front side face portions and a top front ace portions, respectively. Thereafter, upper edges of the front side face portions re welded with corresponding edges of the top front face portions. Further, since the outer cabinet is formed from sheet metal or similar generally flexible material, the outer cabinet requires to be reinforced in order to adequately withstand loads exerted thereon during normal use of the refrigerator. Such reinforcing members are welded to the outer cabinet to increase structural rigidity thereof.
The foam insulation member is usually formed out of polyurethane composition material in liquid or gas form. The polyurethane composition material is filled into the space between the outer cabinet and the inner liner, and is then solidified by a curing process to form the foam insulation member. This foam insulation member which adheres to both the outer cabinet a d the inner liner increases structural rigidity of the outer cabinet.
However, when the foam insulation member is formed from the polyurethane composition material, lots of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) gases are used, which cause environmental pollution such as ozonosphere destruction in stratosphere. In order to prevent such a problem, it is preferable to employ insulating materials such as EPS materials which do not use CFC gases in manufacturing process.
Furthermore, if the outer cabinet is manufactured wholly by an assembly method without welding, the recycling thereof can be facilitated since it can be easily disassembled.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator including an outer case manufactured by an assembly method in which the need for welding operation is eliminated and an EPS material is used as an insulating material.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator cabinet assembly including an outer case including two laterally spaced side walls and a top wall interconnecting the two side walls, each of the side walls and the top wall including front face portions and rear face portions, a plurality of reinforcing members for increasing the structural strength of the outer case, and means for securing said plurality of reinforcing members to the outer case, wherein the refrigerator cabinet assembly is devoid of welded portion.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator including a cabinet assembly including an outer metal case including two laterally spaced side walls and a top wall interconnecting the two side walls, a plurality of reinforcing members for increasing the structural strength of the outer metal case and means for securing said plurality of reinforcing members to the outer metal case, and a plurality of insulating members made of expandable polyethylene, wherein the refrigerator cabinet assembly is devoid of welded portion.